Endless-rope traction-railway



Al vSl HALLIDIE 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

BNDLBSS ROPE TRAGTIUN RAILWAY.

Patented June 30, 1885.

INVENTOH i WITNESSES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. S. HALLIDIE.

l ENDLESS ROPE TRACTION RAILWAY.

No. 321,022. Patented June so, 1885.

INVENTOH WITNESSES NA PETERS. Phnw-Lilhugmpher. wnshingmn. n.0.

NTTED STATES APATENT rricn.

ANDREW S. yIEIALLIDIE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

ENDLESS-ROPE TRACTION-RAI LWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of` Letters Patent No. 321,022, dated June 30, 1885.

Application led November 3, 1879. Patented in England November 15, 1879, No. 4,666.

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANDREW S. HALLIDIE, of the city and county of San Francisco, and State of California, have invented an Improvement in Endless-RopeTraction-Railways; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to certain improvement-s in that class of traction-railways in which an endless rope or cable is propelled within a tube or channel below the surface of the street or road by means of a suitable apparatus fixed at some point along the line. A slot is madc in the upper part of the tube, and a gripping device is attached to the car or dummy to be propelled along the track, and extends down through the slot into the tube, where it is caused to grip the rope, so as to be drawn along by it, and thus propel the car. This method is well known, and much of the apparatus has been patented by myself, as will be seen by reference to patents issued to me in 1875, 1876, and 1877.

My present invention is designed to protect the tube, slot, and the permanent way from the action of snow and ice in winter, and to prevent any water which may enter the tube from becoming frozen or any accumulation of ice or snow upon the permanent way.

It consists in the employment of pipes which are connected with a steam-boiler, hot-air or gas apparatus, whereby the interior of the tube may be kept warm and the formation of ice within the tube or around the slot can be prevented, and the surface of the permanent way kept in such a condition that snow and ice may be easily removed by the employment of a plow or scraper, in combination with the traveling endless rope and a suitable bearing device and grip, whereby the plow may be moved along and the track cleaned.

Referring to the'accompanying drawings for a more complete explanation of my invention, Figure 1 is a view of my apparatus, showing its application. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the tube. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the tube.

A is the permanent roadway 5 B, the tracks upon which the cars run, and C is the tube within which the endless rope D is driven by suitable machinery, pulleys, 8vo., in the usual Within this tube I fix the pipe or manner.

pipes E, which may extend in the direction of its length and be suitably secured to the sides, so as to be out of the way of the rope or moving grip. These pipes are connected with a boiler or boilers, F, or with anl air or gas heatingapparatus, so that hot air, gas, vapor, or liquid, as may be found most desirable, can be passed through the pipes, and the interior of the tube will thus be kept at such a tempera- Vture as to melt any ice or snow which may find its way through the slot, and it will also prevent the freezing of water which may iiow in thetube. Itwillkeepthelubricantsemployed upon the pulleys and other moving parts from becoming thick by reason of the cold, and the Whole apparatus in good working condition. The warm air will escape through the slot, and will thus always keep it clear in cold weather,

- and any ice or snow which accumulates upon the rails will be kept in such a condition that the plow or scraper G will easily remove it without too much strain upon the drivingrope. This plow or scraper is suitably supported, preferably uponv a truck, H, which runs upon the rails B, and is provided with a gripping apparatus, I, of any suitable or wellknown form, connected with an actuating-le- Ver, J, or hand-wheel and screw, so that when desired the grip maybe made to seize the rope or cable, andthus the plow or scraper is driven along the track, which can be kept clear at all times. By this construction I am enabled to employ the endless cable within an underground tube for the propulsion of cars in cold as well as warm climates without danger of stoppage or damage by ice or snow. As the weight of the cable is very considerable in itself, and as it is carried by the grip at a level somewhat above the line of run of the rollers supporting the same, it will be apparent that the draft of the cable upon the car andthe snow-plow fixed thereto is in a downward dil rection, and this draft downward on the nose of the plow tends to keep it close to the track. A directly opposite effect is produced in snowplows drawn by horses, as there is a continually upward draft given to the nose of the plow. It will be obvious, therefore, that a snow-plow connected to a cable in the manner shown will be acted upon by the cable with a double effect-the first, the old, effect being to draw the plow along as the cable advances,

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and, second, the new effect, being to hold the nose of the plow down to the track and to its work. A

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- 4 l. In combination with an endless traveling rope or cable moving in an underground tube or tunnel, a snow plow or scraper having a shank passing through the slot in the tube and provided with a gripping device, by which it may be connected with and propelled by the cable, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in one apparatus,of an endless traveling rope moving in a slotted underground tube, a plow or scraper having. a

tus, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ANDREW S. HALLIDIE.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM HARNEY, R. M. HowLAND. 

